NRL faces prospect of losing Jason Taumalolo, Valentine Holmes after 5 NFL clubs up ante for duo
THE NRL faces the nightmare scenario of losing Jason Taumalolo and Valentine Holmes after five NFL clubs upped the ante for the star duo. See exclusive pics of their NFL trial here!
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THE NRL faces the nightmare scenario of Jason Taumalolo and Valentine Holmes walking out on the code after five NFL clubs upped the ante for the star duo.
The Courier-Mail can reveal North Queensland’s Taumalolo and Cronulla’s Holmes will be invited back to the US after impressing NFL scouts in their official trial on Sunday.
Representatives from 14 NFL clubs, including Jarryd Hayne’s former club the San Francisco 49ers, attended the workout. Scouts from Arizona, San Diego, Cleveland, Green Bay, the New York Jets, LA Rams and Buffalo Bills also arrived at LA’s Loyola High School.
Two hours later, NFL combine guru Jeff Foster hailed Taumalolo and Holmes as “accomplished athletes”. Five clubs, including Arizona, formally expressed interest in having the pair return to continue their burgeoning NFL education.
COMBINE: Scouts impressed by Taumalolo, Holmes
Taumalolo and Holmes’ American dream is now as real as ever, with the pair revealing the two-hour trial has only intensified their desire to emulate Hayne by cracking the NFL.
The Cowboys and Cronulla signed paperwork allowing the duo to undergo NFL testing on the proviso they honoured the final year of their deals next season.
But if an NFL club tables a formal contract in the coming months, Taumalolo or Holmes will take it, and no NFL franchise will wait 12 months to school an NRL rookie who needs an immediate grounding in a foreign game.
Taumalolo relished a workout that has only motivated the Dally M Medallist to clinch an NFL deal.
“This is just feeding the fire to push me and Val even harder and get another crack,” the Cowboys forward said. “All we’ve heard so far is good comments from the scouts.
“We didn’t get any practice runs beforehand, so we did pretty well in the drills. They (NFL scouts) were pretty stoked to see that guys from a different code could come out and surprise them.
“I’ve played for New Zealand and done everything I can in my (rugby league) career. NFL would be a new challenge. The main thing is coming here and challenging myself against great American athletes.’’
Well-placed sources say Taumalolo is almost certain to be given a chance by an NFL club. One scout described him as “unique’’.
Holmes’ prospects are not as strong. Scouts were impressed with his athleticism but his speed was shy of the NFL’s best running backs and wide receivers. While Holmes still posted a breezy 4.6 sec for the 40-yard dash, Foster said the NFL’s quickest “burners” clock 4.4 sec.
Taumalolo and Holmes are not the type to brazenly break NRL contracts but the calendar is their enemy.
To chase their NFL dream, they would ideally need to move to America by April, when clubs are allowed by the NFL to undertake Organised Team Activities, or OTAs, which is a developmental camp for players. Training camps open in mid-July, in the middle of the NRL season.
If Taumalolo or Holmes decided to delay their defection for another year, their NFL journey could be dead before it begins.
“I think we went pretty well,” Holmes said of Sunday’s trial. “At first I was nervous, all the scouts had our eyes on us but we went pretty well under pressure.
“I wasn’t expecting so many scouts to turn up.
“The sharp corners and turns we were doing (in the drills) were different to what we’re used to, but this is a good stepping stone and we’ll see how far we go. If there is a team over here that was keen to keep me, I would have to look at it seriously.’’
Foster, president of National Football Scouting, said Taumalolo and Holmes performed some of the drills better than college players who had practised for weeks.
“I was impressed,” said Foster. “They are very accomplished athletes in their sport. Both the guys were told what to do, did it one time and they were done.
“That speaks highly of them, their ability to listen and learn and perform under what was a lot of pressure for them.’’
Originally published as NRL faces prospect of losing Jason Taumalolo, Valentine Holmes after 5 NFL clubs up ante for duo
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